This is a summary of the talk given by
Fr Philip for the Novena of Grace 2004, on the topic of Holy
Orders/Ministry.
Every year, on Holy Thursday morning, only one mass is celebrated
in each diocese. It takes place in the Cathedral Church or in
the case of Dublin, the pro-cathedral, and the principal celebrant
is the Archbishop or the bishop of the diocese. During that Mass,
known as the “Mass of Chrism”, the holy oils, which
are used in the sacraments throughout the year, are blessed.
With these oils the ministry of Christ’s service is continued
in the Church: the oil of catechumens is a sign of the Church’s
strengthening of the weak; with the chrism the Church seals with
the Spirit those who are to bear witness to him in the world
through baptism and confirmation, it commissions those whose
lives are specially consecrated to Christ’s sacrificial
service through ordination, and finally brings his ministry of
healing to the sick through the sacrament of anointing.
Last Holy Thursday I was delighted to receive a text from a
friend who was in Rome for the Easter Triduum. She just wanted
to let me know that she was praying for me on the day when priests
all over the world renew their personal commitment to priestly
service. It’s interesting that the Gospel for the Mass
of the Lord’s Supper on that day is not about the institution
of the Eucharist but about service – the Lord’s washing
the feet of his disciples. “He is the true and eternal
priest” as the preface of that mass reminds us, and every
priest who acts in his name is called to imitate his example.
In my own ministry I am always conscious of the fact that Jesus
himself wasn’t ordained. He was sent to establish a priestly
people; he came as a humble servant, and he left us an example
by washing his disciples’ feet.
I remember a confrere telling me about a wise old teacher of
his who, when he wanted to make a point, would go to the board
and draw diagrams. One day when talking about the Sacrament of
Orders he drew a line across the board. Above this line he placed
all the people of God. But he indicated that by the Sacrament
of Orders a person made the choice to go beneath the line and
serve God’s people.
Since Vatican II we have begun to rediscover and slowly recapture the vitality
of the early Church’s understanding of ministries and offices in the
Christian community. We have begun to understand that the sacrament of orders
is not conferred primarily for the benefit of the one who receives it, but
for the benefit of the community which needs the service of the one being
ordained.
The priest is a Christian among Christians, and is not higher
or above his sisters and brothers. He has a special ministry
within that community. As a helper of the Bishop he works to
build up the Kingdom of God. He preaches the Good News, celebrates
the Eucharist with the people of God, baptises, and celebrates
the sacrament of reconciliation. He is present as witness when
a man and woman administer the Sacrament of Matrimony to one
another, he anoints and comforts the sick and leads the funeral
rites for the dead.
He is a man for the people. He is not some kind of “Jim’ll fix
it” character, a kind of spiritual or social superman. Although a priest
is intended to be the bearer of an extraordinary message, he is first and foremost
an ordinary human being. By processing through the gathered assembly at the
beginning and end of Mass, the priest reminds us that he comes from God’s
people. Like a sower sowing seed he is called to sow the Word of God and mingle
his gifts with the gifts of the people he serves.
The Cardinal Archbishop of Milan, Carlo Maria Martini, once
said about the role of bishop: “If we were to ask what
a bishop should be as we enter the third Millennium he would
be just such a person as Basil Hume.” I was a great admirer
of the late Cardinal Hume; he was one of those rare, outstanding
leaders whose unassuming style and ordinary-ness of his spirituality
made his vision of the Christian life accessible to all. Reflecting
on the role of priesthood today he wrote: “I have often
thought that Our Lord chose a lot of ‘Division Two’ people
as priests. We can all think of better people among the laity
than ourselves, and we all know our frailities and our weaknesses.
I sometimes think he has deliberately chosen the earthenware
vessels to be quite certain that the strays and failures will
have someone who will understand and be sympathetic, and not
condemn. For who of us would dare to condemn others when we know
our real selves? So he made those who were going to be shepherds
of his flock themselves rather frail precisely so that they could
have sympathy and compassion in order to help the lost sheep.”
In 1964, Loren Eisley wrote a book entitled “The Unexpected
Universe”. I’d like to conclude with the following
story from that book which I often share with those who come
to me seeking help in discerning God’s will:
A young man was walking along a beach when
he saw in the distance an old man picking things up from the
sand and throwing them into the sea. As he came closer, he could
see that the things were starfish that had been stranded on the
beach. He asked the man why he was throwing the starfish into
the water.
“ These starfish will die if they’re left here on the beach,” said
the man, “and I come out here every day and throw as many back into the
sea as I can.”
“ But there are hundreds of starfish on this beach,” the young man
said. “And there must be millions on beaches around the world. What difference
does it make if you throw a few of them back into the sea?”
At that, the old man picked up another starfish and said, “it makes a
lot of difference to this one,” and threw it back into the water.
The obvious moral of the story is that one person can make all
the difference. There is no one who isn’t needed. Whenever
we come to celebrate the Eucharist, as sisters and brothers in
Christ let’s give thanks and praise to God who calls us
to serve in different ways within the Church. Above all, pray
that we may be faithful to our Great High Priest, for he calls
each one of us to the Father’s love.
Last Holy Thursday I was delighted to receive a text from a
friend who was in Rome for the Easter Triduum. She just wanted
to let me know that she was praying for me on the day when priests
all over the world renew their personal commitment to priestly
service. It’s interesting that the Gospel for the Mass
of the Lord’s Supper on that day is not about the institution
of the Eucharist but about service – the Lord’s washing
the feet of his disciples. “He is the true and eternal
priest” as the preface of that mass reminds us, and every
priest who acts in his name is called to imitate his example. 
The priest is a Christian among Christians, and is not higher
or above his sisters and brothers. He has a special ministry
within that community. As a helper of the Bishop he works to
build up the Kingdom of God. He preaches the Good News, celebrates
the Eucharist with the people of God, baptises, and celebrates
the sacrament of reconciliation. He is present as witness when
a man and woman administer the Sacrament of Matrimony to one
another, he anoints and comforts the sick and leads the funeral
rites for the dead. 
The Cardinal Archbishop of Milan, Carlo Maria Martini, once
said about the role of bishop: “If we were to ask what
a bishop should be as we enter the third Millennium he would
be just such a person as Basil Hume.” I was a great admirer
of the late Cardinal Hume; he was one of those rare, outstanding
leaders whose unassuming style and ordinary-ness of his spirituality
made his vision of the Christian life accessible to all. Reflecting
on the role of priesthood today he wrote: “I have often
thought that Our Lord chose a lot of ‘Division Two’ people
as priests. We can all think of better people among the laity
than ourselves, and we all know our frailities and our weaknesses.
I sometimes think he has deliberately chosen the earthenware
vessels to be quite certain that the strays and failures will
have someone who will understand and be sympathetic, and not
condemn. For who of us would dare to condemn others when we know
our real selves? So he made those who were going to be shepherds
of his flock themselves rather frail precisely so that they could
have sympathy and compassion in order to help the lost sheep.”